One Last Shot, a Perfect 10.8: The Morning Abhinav Bindra Made History

On 11 August 2008, at the shooting range in Beijing, a quiet 25-year-old stood with his air rifle, waiting to take the last shot of the Olympic final.

He was tied for the lead. One shot would decide it. He steadied his breathing and fired: 10.8, nearly perfect ^[1].

Abhinav Bindra had won gold in the 10-metre air rifle, India’s first individual Olympic gold medal ^[1][2]. Until then, every Olympic gold India had won had come in men’s hockey, as a team.

A boy and a rifle

Abhinav Bindra was born on 28 September 1982 in Dehradun ^[5]. He took up shooting as a boy and was known for his intense focus and discipline.

His talent showed early. In 2001, aged just 18, he received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting award, making him its youngest recipient ^[5]. In 2006, he won the 10-metre air rifle at the ISSF World Championships, the first Indian rifle shooter to become world champion ^[5].

The Beijing final

At the 2008 Olympics, Bindra went into his last shot level with Finland’s Henri Häkkinen. Bindra fired a 10.8; Häkkinen’s last shot was a 9.7. Bindra finished on 700.5 to take gold, with China’s Zhu Qinan second and Häkkinen third ^[1].

On the range he showed little emotion. Back home, the country erupted. He received the Padma Bhushan the following year ^[5].

What the medal meant

Bindra’s gold proved that an Indian could beat the world’s best in an individual Olympic event. It also gave shooting, until then a little-known sport in India, a national hero, and a generation of shooters followed. For thirteen years he remained India’s only individual Olympic champion, until Neeraj Chopra won javelin gold in Tokyo in 2021.

The thinker behind the champion

Bindra is known for his honesty about the pressures of elite sport. His autobiography, A Shot at History, written with sportswriter Rohit Brijnath and published in 2011, describes the obsession and loneliness of chasing perfection ^[2].

Life after shooting

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bindra finished fourth, losing a shoot-off for bronze by a whisker, and soon afterwards retired from competitive shooting ^[4].

He has stayed closely involved in sport, working to bring sports science and better training to Indian athletes. In 2024, the International Olympic Committee awarded him the Olympic Order, its highest honour for service to the Olympic movement. He was the first Indian to receive it ^[3].

Why it matters

Abhinav Bindra’s golden shot in Beijing was a turning point for Indian sport. More than the medal itself, his example of preparation, calm and honesty continues to inspire. With one nearly perfect shot, he changed what Indians believed was possible.